Method and apparatus for sheathing structural members with concrete



`June 4, 1929. A. w. FoRs-rER y 1,715,497A

' METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SHEATHING STRUCTURAL MEMBERS WITH CONCRETE Filed Dec. 22, 1927 INVENTOR. Q5\, le/Jaw fffpwy i "i I Y A lm/$021 A TTORNEYS.

Patented J une'v 4, 1929.

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ALOIS W. FORSTER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. i

IVIETOD AND'APPARATUS FOR SHEATHING STRUCTURAL MEMBERS WITH CONCRETE.

l Application led December 22, 1927. Serial No. 241,778. i

This invention relates to methods and apn paratus for sheathing structural members with concrete. l t

An object of the invention is to providegan improved method and apparatus whereby a properlyshaped sheath of concrete may be easily, speedily and economically formed about a structural member. y

Another object of the invention yis to provide an improved holding device whereby a wooden or other form maybe readily secured to structural members of varying size and shape.

Another object is to provide a holding device whereby a plurality of forms disposed at an angle to each otherl may be readily secured to the structural member to be sheathed. An additional object is to provideV adevice of the character described which is simple in construction and operation, and which may be readily manufactured and assembled.l

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appearl herein-l be had to the following detailed description taken 'in connection with theraccompa'nyin'g drawings, in which: i

Figure l is a perspectivepview of a holding device or clamp such as contemplated by the invention showing the same in operative position; s Y

Fig. 2 is a. view of a sheathed structural member with portions thereof cut away to illustrate the use of clamps such as shown in Fig. l; y

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the grippers composing the clamp;

Fig. l is a plan view of ametallic blank marked to indicate the'manner in which a plurality of grippers may be formed therefrom;

Fig. 5 is va sectional view illustrating the clamp equipped Vwith means for holding a pair of forms at right angles to each other; and

Figs. 6 to 11, inclusive, illustrate in detail various uses of the eXempliiied clamp.

In sheathing structural members with concrete, and particularly when such sheathing operations are conducted ,with a fcement gun77 or the like, it is often desirable to secure forms in proximity to the structural member to besheathed, and especially inproximity to the edges thereof, in order that the surface of the concrete may be smooth and tlieco'rners thereof properly shaped. Y Such formsv are 'ordinarily composed of wood or like material. VIn Patent No. 1,596,170, 'dated August 17, 1926, I have disclosed a holding-clip forcjoncrete form comprising a pair-of resilient members adapted to be slipped over the edge of a structural member such as 'an angle-iron and carrying at its opposite end a pointed or nail memberV whichniay bedriveiijinto the form.

In the manufacture and use of these clips sev-l eral difficulties have Apresented themselves, among which vis Vthe disadvantage that each clip, being` designed for useon a' structural member of a particular thickness, cannot be various sizes must alwaysy be kept on hand. The .present invention contemplates the provision of a clip the parts of which lcan ybe manufactured with "extreme ease, which can be assembled on the job, and which is adapted for use in sheathing structural members regardless of the size or shape thereof.

In the eireiiipliiied embodiment of the invention there are provided a pair of gripping members 12 formed with pointed ends 13 adapted to be driven into a form `lil composed of wood or similar material and provided attheir opposite ends with gripping portions 15 adapted `to be placedon opposite sides of the structural member 16 to be sheathed. emplified, are formed between their ends with a plurality of bores at 17, and there is bolt 18 having a cooperating nut 1S), whereby the two grippers may 'be drawn into gripping engagement with a protruding portion of the structural member 16. Iii the present` kso used on a structure of a different thickness, so A that during loperations a supply of clips of' These gripping members, as ei.-

Vioo i inserted in one set of these bores a threaded 'instance the narrow or pointed end offeachl gripper terminates in a pair of shoulders 2O whereby the 'distance which the same l isA driven into the form is limited, and the bores 17 thereon are positioned' a distancefrom the of concrete usually employed beyond the proiio v y shoulders 2O corresponding to the thicknesses f be sheathed. Preferably, the grippers 12 are formed with complementary outer and inner ends so that a plurality of such members may `be cut out of a strip of metal .without waste in the manner indicated in Fig. 4. ln use,

` the pointed outer ends 13 of the grippers 12 are preferably first driven into the form 14, the grippers being spaced a distance substantially equall tov the width of the structural member 16 to be gripped, the bolt 18 inserted through a set of thebores therein, the nut 19 placed thereon, the grippers placed about the member 16, and the nut turned down to bring the grippers inl gripping engagement with the structural member, after which the space surrounding the member 16 and between this member and the form 14 is .filled with concrete by a cement gun or byV other suitable means. It is to be understood, of course, that certain of the steps in this method may be reversed and the method y otherwise varied,if desired; and furthermore that a holding device such as contemplated by the invention may be employed in a wide' variety of methods and applications other than those exemplified.

In order to facilitate the breaking off of the outer ends of the grippers when desired, for example, after the Vconcrete has hardened andthe form 14 has been remoi'fedtherefrom, the grippers may, if desired, be scored,

preferably alonga line slightly within the shoulders 20, Vas shown at 21 in Fig. 3.

In certain instances 1t is desirable to supf port an additional form at an angle to the form into which the holding device is driven, and the invention, in one of its aspects, contemplatesI the provision, when desired, of means which may be utilized to support such an additional form from the holding device. Viththis is view, the grip ers 12 are preferably provided' with an a ditional bore 22 adjacent the inner end thereof and in this bore (or, in certain instances, in one of the b0res17) on one of the grippers there may be inserted a nail 23 (Figs 5 and 7) or like member adapted to have .driven thereon a form 24, which, as exemplilied, is positioned parallel to the grippers and at a right angle to the form 14 into which the grippers 12 Aare driven. The outer edge of the form 24 is ordinarily secured at one edge ofthe form 14, the nail or nails 23 serving as a support for the inner portion. If desired, thefnail 23 may be scored'as at 25 to facilitate the breaking on of the end thereof before or` after the removal of the 'form 24. For example, the bent end of the nail maybe twisted after the .concrete has set, so as to `break the nail' and to permitV the ready removal of the form 24. f

For example, there is shown in Fig. 6 a clamp with the bolt 18 inserted in the outer pair of bores 17, whereby the form 14 is held in close proximity to the protruding edge of an angle iron towhieh the clamp is attached; Fig ure 7 shows clampsfemployed to grip a pluriality of reinforcing members and to support forms which provide a` rectangular trough for the reception of concrete; in F ig. 8 a clamp is shown as used to grip a plurality of reinforcing members, as well as the angle iron yto which the same are secured; Figure 9 shows a clamp employed to grip an entire side of an angle iron; Vl'igure 10 shows a Vpair of clamps gripping the edges of a U- iron; and Figure 11 shows a pair of juxtaposed angle irons at each edge of which a form is secured by means of ay clamp such as exemplified.

Since certain changes in, carrying out the above process and in the constructions set forth, which embody the invention may be made without departing from its scope, it isintended that all matter contained in the above description orshown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative'and not ina limiting sense.

t is also to be understood that the fol!` lowing claims are intended to cover all of the generic and speciiic features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to 'fall therebetween. f

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to securel by Letters Patent is: f

1. The method of sheathing a structural member with concrete which comprises driving into a form each of a pair of gripping members adapted to cooperate in mutually gripping a structural member, placing said gripping members adjacent opposite surfaces of a structural member, drawing said mutual gripping members into permanent gripping engagement with said structural member, and filling with concrete the spaces about said structural member and between said structural member and said form. n y 2. Apparatus for sheathing member with concrete including a form, a pair of grippers each independently secured thereto, and meansto move said grippers, to-

ward each other and into gripping engagement with opposite surfaces 0f the structural member. I i

3. A clamp for securing a form upona 'structural member to Vbe sheathed with conof sfrippers, each pro` crete, comprising a pair L vided'with a point adapted to be driven into a form and with a gripping surface,l and means to ymove the' gripping surfaces of said grippers toward each other and into gripping engagement with aV structural member.y

4. A clamp for securing a form upon a a structural structural member to be sheathed With concrete, comprising a pair of grippers, each provided With a pointed end adapted to' be driven into a form and with opposed gripping surfaces and formed to permit operatk ing means to be secured thereon at a plurality of positions, and operating means to move said grippers into gripping engagement with a structural member. l

5. A clamp for securing a form upon a structural member to be sheathed with concrete, comprising a pair of grippers, each provided With a point adapted to be driven into a form, and With a pair of gripping surfaces, and screw means to move the gripping surfaces of said grippers into gripping engagement with a structural member.

6. A clamp` for securing'a form upon a structural member to be sheathed with concrete, comprising a pair of grippers each formed With a pointed end adapted to be driven into a form with a gripping surface at its opposite end and With a plurality of bores therebetween, a threaded bolt extending through one set of the bores in said grippers, and a nut cooperating with said bolt to draw said grippers into rictional engagement y y driven into avform and With a plurality of with a structural member.

7. A clamp for securing a form upon a structural member to be sheathed with concrete, comprising a pair of grippers adapted to be secured upon a structural member, each of said grippers being formed With a pointed end adapted to be driven into a formand being provided with a lateral score to facilitate the removal of the pointed end thereof after the formation of the concrete sheath.

8. In apparatus for sheathing a structural member With concrete,` the combination of a clamp comprising gripping members adapted to be secured upon a structural member and means to secure a form in spaced relation to the structural member gripped by the gripping members, and means associated With said clamp to support a second form extending at an angle to the aforementioned form draw said grippers'together into gripping engagement with a structural member, and means extending through another of the bores in one of said grippersand adapted to secure an additional form in place thereon.

l0. ln apparatus for sheathing a structural member with concrete, the combination cfa clamp comprising a pair of grippers, eachV formed with a pointed end adapted to be bores,' and means extending through a set of the bores in said grippers and -adapted to draw said grippers together into gripping engagement W'vth a structural member, and a nail member extending through an inner bore and driven into a form positioned at an angle to the aforesaid form.l

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

ALOIS FORSTER. y 

